Mawkina’masultinej: Tia’m (Moose)

Inquiring Into Moose

On this page you will find resources and curriculum connections to help you lead students through an inquiry unit on moose and the role they play in the environment. Moose are important to the Mi’kmaq because they are integral to sustaining an ecosystem.

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry is the result of human beings’ wonderings and curiosities about the natural or constructed world (Barell, 2008; Krauss, 2013). Our natural inquisitiveness is the driving force to ask questions and formulate means of authentic learning, and it is this inquisitiveness and passion that moves us forward (Krauss, 2013; The National Science Foundation, ND; Pahomov, 2014) and pushes our ability to think in critical, creative and divergent ways (Bateman, 1990; Krauss, 2013). IBL is a student-centred learning process that emphasizes the importance of motivating students to engage in and learn through the process of purposeful experiential investigations and research in order to better understand the world (Abuhimed, Beheshti, Cole, AlGhamdi & Lamoureux, 2013; Galileo Educational Network, 1999-2014; Kanter & Konstantopoulos, 2010; Prince, 2004; Rusche & Jason, 2011). Inquiry invites children to explore questions of interest to them related to a given topic. Through inquiry, students can cover a large number of curriculum outcomes through authentically exploring a topic of relevance to them.

Why Inquire into Moose?

The moose is a very respected animal in the Mi’kmaq culture. Exploring the Moose can be connected to teaching many subjects from the indigenous perspective: Math 10 Essentials, Mi’kmaq Studies, Science and Biology. It can also be used in any unit that discusses the importance of sustainability, such as Global Geography.

In this notebook you will find curricular outcomes that can be linked to the moose and how important it is to sustaining our ecosystem, as well as its importance historically in the Mi’kmaq culture and livelihood.

This project was made possible through a collaborative learning environment that seeks to honor and continue in the Mi’kmaq culture and traditions. You can find the resource for material that tells the story of the importance of the moose here.

How do I Connect this to Curriculum?

Teachers are encouraged to use the Inquiry Project Details below for the appropriate grade. These projects include links to provincial Mathematics (WNCP), Science, Social, English Language Arts, Mi’kmaq Language, and other content area outcomes. These guides also contain examples of essential questions that can be used to start an inquiry project on bead work. There are also suggestions about how the bead work inquiry fits within various units within the curricula.